Bill Text: HI SB36 | 2018 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Relating To Consumer Protection.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2018-03-08 - Referred to IAC, CPC, FIN, referral sheet 35 [SB36 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2018-SB36-Amended.html
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THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
36 |
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TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2017 |
S.D. 2 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO CONSUMER PROTECTION.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. The legislature finds that public, educational, and governmental access channels are critical to government transparency and open access. Public, educational, and governmental access channels provide local residents unfiltered access to government broadcasts of the legislature, county councils, and neighborhood board meetings. Public, educational, and governmental access channels also serve an important consumer protection function, as the State uses these channels during natural disasters and emergencies to distribute information to the public.
The legislature further finds that any redesignation of public, educational, and governmental access channel numbers requires strategic and coordinated communication with the public, as lack of sufficient communication may cause confusion and lead to a decline in public viewership of these channels. Furthermore, access organizations that oversee public, educational, and governmental access programs may find it difficult to rebrand their programs to the new channel number designations. Authorizing the department of commerce and consumer affairs to regulate public, educational, and governmental access channel number designations will help alleviate these concerns.
Accordingly, the purpose of this Act
is to require the department of commerce and consumer affairs to regulate
public, educational, and governmental access channel number designations.
SECTION 2. Chapter 440G, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:
"§440G- Regulation of channel number designation;
public, educational, and governmental channels. (a)
Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, unless expressly prohibited by
federal law, the department shall regulate all channel number designations and
relocation of public, educational, and governmental access channels.
(b) No cable operator shall change the
designation of a public, educational, and governmental access channel number or
relocate a public, educational, and government access channel, except upon:
(1) Completion of a
public outreach campaign, subject to approval by the cable television division;
(2) Mutual
agreement between the cable operator and access organization designated to
oversee development, operation, supervision, management, production, and
broadcasting of programs for the public, educational, and governmental access
channel; and
(3) Satisfaction of any other requirements
established by the department.
(c) The department may adopt rules, pursuant to
chapter 91, to apply additional requirements to cable operators for the
purposes of this section."
SECTION 3. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
Report Title:
Public, Educational, and Governmental Access Channels; Channel Designation; Cable Operators; Consumer Protection
Description:
Requires the department of commerce and consumer affairs to regulate all channel designations and relocation of public, educational, and governmental access channels unless expressly prohibited by federal law. Allows cable operators to relocate or change the designation of public, educational, and governmental access channels only under certain conditions. (SD2)
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
